Gov. Cuomo unveils legislation to ban employers from asking about pay history

“The gender pay gap exists across the economic spectrum, across all industries, and can follow women throughout their entire careers,” Cuomo said. (Don Pollard/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)

ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo on Tuesday unveiled legislation that would bar employers in New York from asking about a prospective employee's salary history.

Cuomo said the legislation, which was announced on Equal Pay Day, was intended to address the pay gap that exists between men and women.

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"The gender pay gap exists across the economic spectrum, across all industries, and can follow women throughout their entire careers," Cuomo said. "By banning salary history, we can break the weight of this unfair, unequal cycle and work to achieve fair pay for all women in this state."

Cuomo boasted that New York already has the narrowest wage gap in the nation, with women, on average, earning about 89 cents to a man's dollar.

A spokesman for The Business Council of New York State said they were reviewing Cuomo's proposal but noted that the group has opposed similar legislation in the past, arguing, among other things, that New York already has strong legal protections against wage discrimination.